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By: - 25th January 2007 at 01:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I only have the Putnam Shorts tome, which states that Schofield was the pilot, and that he escaped with a bad bruising.
Best wishes
Steve P
By: - 25th January 2007 at 10:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I have the book produced in 1981 to mark the 50th anniversary of the final win and that says that the Crusader crashed as a result of the controls being rigged the wrong way after shipment to Italy and that Schofeld was "undoubtedly saved from death when his Short Crusader broke in half and he was thrown clear of the wreckage".
This book is assembled from cuttings and contemporary reports and so this could be a quote from something at the time.
Of course, you could always look at Wikpedia and go for the opposite of what they say!!!
By: - 25th January 2007 at 21:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
'The Speed Seekers' by Thomas G Foxworth published 1989 by Haynes Publishing Group covers racing aeroplanes and races 1919-1926.
It says the pilot Flight Lieutenant H M Schofield pilot of the Short Crusader which crashed on take-off miraculously emerged alive!
By: - 26th January 2007 at 09:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Derek James's Putnam "Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913 -1931" states that during the accident on 11 September , "the starboard wing dropped in a gust but when he applied corrective aileron the rate of roll increased until the wingtip, going over the vertical, hit the water, the fuselage broke in two and the Crusader disappeared below the surface.
Schofield was found,clinging to the floating tail section very badly bruised and with an injured face but happily was soon able to walk again with the aid of sticks.
......The loss of the Crusader was caused by the crossing of the aileron cables during assembly."
By: - 26th January 2007 at 16:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've always been interested by the Crusader with its sleek lines and distinctive helmeted cylinder heads. Are there any performance figures for it or had it not been flown enough before the crash?
By: - 27th January 2007 at 22:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks for he responses and references - the Air Annual of the British Empire 1929 called the crash "the victim of a thousand to one mishap" . XN923 - The only performance reference I have found on the Short Crusader is at the Air Racing History page on the web :
http://www.airracinghistory.freeola.com/aircraft/Short%20Crusader.htm
Schofield went on to become a director of General Aviation which listed the design and build of Britain's first purpose-built air ambulance (a Monospar ST 11) among its accomplishments
Cheers
By: - 27th January 2007 at 22:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi all,
on my web site soon will be upload article about this race and must say that there was a number of books about this race. here in attach is the text, non complete, which will be used. if you need I can put here some images :)
Posts: 52
By: Beetle2 - 24th January 2007 at 23:56
Does anyone have a definitive history of the 1927 Schneider Cup Race off Venice? I have three different versions of the crash of the Short Crusader during pre-race practice. One says F/O HM Schofield was killed when it crashed, the RAF History Branch on the 'net (at the moment inoperable) says that Sqn Ldr LJ Slatter was piloting the aircraft but suvived the crash with minor injuries. My original source says Schofield was the pilot and survived with concussion and facial injuries and that he went on to win the Kings Cup in a General Aviation Monospar ST10 in 1934. :confused: